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Chapter one

1945. Francis Joseph Cassavant returns to Frenchtown after the Second World War. He has severe injuries to his face which make him appear grotesque to other people, and although he has already had several operations, Dr Abrams, his friend and doctor, has told him that he will need more to make him appear normal. He describes his appearance, saying he has no face and no ears to speak of, just bits of dangling flesh. He has no nose, his nostrils are like two small caves. He has trouble swallowing and because his teeth are gone he wears dentures. Nor does he have eyebrows.

He says that he is trying to develop a sense of humour. He is staying at Mrs Belander’s boarding house, but because of his disguise behind a scarf and a bandage, she does not recognise him, although she knew him well as a teenager before the war. He carries a duffel bag, which is stuffed with money which he has received as back pay, accumulated over the time he was in France and then in hospital. He goes to St Jude’s Church and lights a candle to pray for his dead parents. His mother died when Francis was six, giving birth to his younger brother Raymond, who only lived for five and a half hours. Francis’ father died five years ago from a heart attack.

He also prays for his Uncle Louis; his friend Enrico Rucelli, who was terribly injured in the war; for Nicole Renard; and finally for Larry LaSalle, whom Francis intends to kill. He talks about Dr Abrams, who gave Francis his address in Kansas City and asked Francis to come for cosmetic surgery after the war. He remembers discussing girls with Enrico, and we learn that Francis received a Silver Star, which is a medal for bravery. He is not interested in other girls, though, as there has only ever been one girl for him – Nicole Renard.

Chapter two

Flashback to 1939. Francis describes his first meeting with Nicole; he fell in love at first sight. They were innocent children, in the seventh grade at St Jude’s Parochial School. Francis says that he used to adore her from a distance, and that she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She reminds him of the statue of St Thérèse in the church, and Francis compares himself to a knight at her feet. He says he was prepared to be loyal to her for ever.

Francis is too shy to speak to Nicole, but because she is friendly with Marie LaCroix, who lives above Francis in the same building, she comes to visit from time to time. Francis speaks to Marie more confidently because he is not in love with her. One day he tells Marie that Nicole seems very nice, and blushes. This makes Marie enquire whether Francis likes Nicole, and he replies that he does not know. He says he felt stupid and trapped, and finally blurts out that he does like her, and in fact loves her with all his heart. He begs Marie not to tell this to Nicole, but deep down he really wants Nicole to know.

Three days later, when Francis is sitting on the banister of the stairs, Nicole passes him and tells him not to fall off. He wonders whether Marie ever told Nicole that he liked her and is secretly delighted that she has acknowledged that he exists. Francis sees less of her over the summer holidays as she does not visit Marie as often, but he catches glimpses of her around the town, going into shops. One evening, as she is walking by, Joey LeBlanc calls out jokingly that she has a ladder in her stocking. Nicole is puzzled, but Francis is furious, believing that Joey has insulted Nicole.

Chapter three

1945. Francis wanders around Frenchtown, avoiding eye contact with people he knows. He stands outside Nicole’s old building and looks up, even though he knows that she does not live there anymore. He sees a child’s face at the window, but is unsure about whether it is real or a hallucination. He looks at the nameplates of the residents; they are all French-sounding. This leads to him remembering his time in France during the war.

Flashback to 1942. Francis recalls a conversation with Norman Rocheleau and their discussion of the Renard family’s sudden departure from Frenchtown. Francis tells Norman that he forged his age on his birth certificate because he was too young to enlist. Norman does not find it strange as everybody wanted to join up and fight the Japanese and the Germans.

1945. A woman in Nicole’s old building asks Francis what he is doing there. He asks her about the Renards but she just replies that they have all gone. Francis goes back to Mrs Belander with shopping; all soft food to eat because his dentures cause his gums to be sore. Mrs Belander chats with him, then reminds him that she did not ask his name when he first arrived. Francis gives a false name. He also lies that his parents live in Canada, telling the reader that he substitutes heaven for Canada. He tells Mrs Belander he is in Frenchtown because he met Norman Rocheleau in the army, who told him it was a nice place to live. He tells her he does not speak French, but informs the reader that he does understand it. He goes to bed and thinks about the war. He recites the names of all the soldiers in his platoon.

Flashback to 1942. He relives the terrifying experience of being caught in a battle against the Germans, with graphic details of the injuries both sides sustained. He tells of the terror felt by all the young soldiers under fire and of how they all ran for cover. He dreams that he ran into two young German soldiers in an alley; they looked like ghosts and Francis killed them both with his machine gun. He says that the head of one of them exploded like a ripe tomato and the other cried Mama as he was cut in half by Francis’ gunfire.

1945. When he wakes up he tells the reader that he did indeed kill the two soldiers, but they died quickly and quietly, not violently as in his dream. He then reminds himself of his mission – to kill Larry LaSalle.

Chapter four

1945. Francis is walking in town when he is stopped by Arthur Rivier, an old friend, but he does not recognise Francis. Francis describes Arthur as he was before the war – a star baseball player for the Frenchtown Tigers. Arthur asks Francis whether it was a landmine or a grenade that caused his injuries.

Francis remains silent which appears to provide Arthur with his answer. He suggests that life has been tough for Francis. Francis says that Arthur had been one of the first men to join up to fight, and that Francis had wanted to be like this group. He considered all men who went to war to be heroes. He had been impatient to reach the age when he could join them. Arthur invites Francis to go for a drink with him at the St Jude’s Club, which Francis accepts, and he sees plenty of familiar faces there, among them Big Boy Burgeron, Armand Telliere and Joe LaFontaine. Nobody takes any notice of Francis, and they discuss what they are all going to do now that they have been demobilised. They are full of hope for the future, in contrast to Francis. Big Boy wants to become a fireman, Armand seems attracted to the police service and Joe wants to go to college and become a teacher.

The G.I. Bill is discussed, and Joe says that the government is willing to pay. Arthur comments to Francis that he does not say much, then adds that it is alright because he has earned the right not to talk. Francis thinks that if only Arthur knew who he really was, he would not consider him a hero as the other men are. Francis leaves quietly and heads for the Wreck Centre.

Chapter five

1945. Francis stands outside the Wreck Centre, which is now all boarded up. He says that it was originally called Grenier’s Hall and had been the scene of very happy events, such as weddings and parties. He tells the story of Marie-Blanche Touraine, who was gunned down at her wedding by a jealous ex-lover. Her new husband, Denis O’Brien, was left paralysed and the murderer, Hervey Rochelle, killed himself. After that the place was closed down and its reputation as a place of doom began to develop. Children used to dare each other to listen at the door at midnight on the night of a full moon as a rite of passage.

Flashback to 1939. When Francis was in the seventh grade, so around 12 years old, the place was re-opened and given a makeover. It then became the Frenchtown Rec. Centre, but somebody crossed out the words and wrote Wreck Centre as a joke. Since then it was always known by this name. The person who was running it was a newcomer to Frenchtown called Larry LaSalle, and the children were in awe of him. He had blond hair and movie-star teeth. Larry became extremely popular; he taught the children to do gymnastics and dancing. He was a great athlete and dancer himself, but his greatest talent lay in his ability to teach the children new skills. Francis says that he gradually began to treat the Wreck Centre as his headquarters, as did the other children of the town. Francis also mentions his love of reading here, saying that he used to go to the public library on Saturday afternoons and take out books by great American authors such as Thomas Wolfe and Jack London.

He also tells how he lived quietly but contentedly with his Uncle Louis in his tenement apartment. He took Francis in when Francis’ father died and Francis says he never doubted his affection. However, Francis still felt lonely and it was this that drove him to the Wreck Centre so often. Francis tells the reader of the different children who were given confidence by Larry, such as Butch Bartoneau, a bully who was taught to sing and even brought tears to people’s eyes as he performed in a musical. Another child - tall, gawky, shy Edna Beauchene, discovered her talent as a comic actor.

Francis says that there were rumours about Larry’s past, saying that he had been a star in New York and Chicago, that he originally came from Frenchtown, but that he had got into some kind of trouble in New York. Nobody felt the need to ask about this because they all adored him so much. Francis says that Nicole Renard began to go to the Wreck Centre to dance. Francis seems to worship her even more. One day she greets Francis, which leaves him speechless. Their eyes meet and Francis looks forward to seeing her regularly in the future. The chapter ends with a reference to Joey LeBlanc’s prediction that the Wreck Centre will lead to doom, and Francis’ comments that Joey, who died on a beach on Iwo Jima in the Pacific in the war, had been right after all.

Chapter six

1945. Francis has been in Frenchtown for almost a month, and the weather is gradually growing warmer, although it rains a lot. People have started to greet Francis, even though they do not recognise him. They respect him because he is a veteran. He is still waiting for Larry LaSalle to return. He describes how his old friends, Arthur, Armand and Joe are always at St. Jude’s Club, and he enjoys listening to their conversations, although he never joins in.

He also says that he never drinks his beer as he wants to stay alert. There is a description of the bartender, the old Strangler, who used to wrestle in carnivals which visited Frenchtown. Francis says that every evening a silence settles over the club, and this is the moment when each returned soldier seems caught up in his own memories of the horrors he experienced in the war. One day Francis breaks the silence, to his own surprise, and asks if anyone has heard when Larry LaSalle is coming home. This shocks Arthur Rivier, who looks at Francis suspiciously. Then Arthur raises his glass to Larry, calling him the patron saint of the Wreck Centre. Francis is unsure whether Arthur is joking or being sarcastic, but soon realises that he is being serious.

The others, including the bartender, drink a toast to Larry. The bartender then brings out a scrapbook full of newspaper cuttings about Larry’s heroic actions in the war. Arthur recognises Francis at this point and remembers that Francis used to be the ping-pong champion at the Wreck Centre. He promises that he will not reveal Francis’ identity to the others.